The complete mitochondrial genome of four Liriomyza species (Diptera: Agromyzidae)

Liriomyza (leafminer) species (Diptera: Agromyzidae) have a high reproductive rate, a short development period, and a wide range of hosts. These species are detrimental to vegetables, flowers, fruits and many other economic crops. The objective of this study was to determine the complete mitochondrial genomes of four Liriomyza species including L. bryoniae, L. huidobrensis, L. trofilii, and L. sativae. The circular genome contained 37 genes including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and an A+T-rich region. The initiation codons of COI, ATP8, ND1, and ND3 genes were different among the four species. In addition, some genes used the truncated termination codon 'T' or 'TA'. All the tRNA genes had the typical cloverleaf secondary structures except for tRNASer(AGN) genes, which were found with the absence of DHU arms. A total of 49 helices of lrRNA genes and 33 helices of srRNA genes were present in the four Liriomyza species. Theses helices of lrRN belonged to six domains, while the 33 helices of srRNA belonged to three domains. Moreover, tRNA-like secondary structures were found in the A+T-rich region of three species. The most distinguished differences among the four Liriomyza species were the A+T-rich regions both in length and content. There were also some essential structure elements such as 'TATA' block, 'G(A)nT' block, poly-T stretch and stem-and-loop structure in the A+T-rich regions of four Liriomyza species. The complete mitochondrial sequences of the four Liriomyza species reported in this study should provide useful data in analyzing divergence of Liriomyza and in developing DNA-based diagnoses and genetic makers for identification of leafminer species.